"There is no sensible reason to retain the present fundamental law."
Changing the constitution or fundamental law has become an urgent necessity to overcome the grave and terrifying problems confronting the country today. Unless the presidential or unitary system of government is discarded and replaced by a federal constitution, the country, and its democratic institutions will be in serious jeopardy and in real danger of being wiped out.
The existing unitary or presidential system has brought the country to the brink of disaster, to the sad and miserable state of the Filipino nation today.
The imposition of martial law, the rise and proliferation of dynasties, the pervasive endemic graft and corruption, the prostitution of the justice system, and the disturbing insurgency problem all sprung from the loopholes and shortcomings of the present fundamental law.
The awesome powers vested on the presidency under the unitary system gave previous presidents the blanket opportunity to gain fame, fortune, and political supremacy. They enriched themselves, their families, and political cronies. They abdicated their best opportunity for greatness, They ignored their responsibilities and accountabilities to the people who entrusted to them the country’s highest and most prestigious government position.
They set aside the highest honor that can be bestowed on anyone by the people.
It is indeed sad that no one among those who occupied the presidency can point to any outstanding achievement or indelible legacy. Most of them failed because they really didn’t care about the people and their country.
No one among our former presidents deserves to be revered or venerated. They will be remembered more for their sins than for some notable accomplishments during their presidency. Some will become mere footnotes in our history.
There is nothing that any of our former presidents has done which is worth placing him or her in the roster of our national heroes. Some should be consigned to the dustbin of history,
Presidents Emilio Aguinaldo, Manuel Quezon, Sergio Osmeña, Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino, Ramon Magsaysay, Carlos Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal, Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Benigno Aquino III, and Rodrigo Duterte have done nothing to deserve being emblazoned as great Filipinos in the Hall of Fame.
History judges men and events unerringly, often harshly.
Incompetence and moral weakness of previous administrations just prove how incompatible and even destructive the presidential system is to the Filipino nation.
The harsh realities, bitter experiences, prevailing critical circumstances, and demanding future necessities have made charter change an immediate priority and a serious survival concern.
The national economy is in ruins; devastated by the pandemic. Millions have lost their jobs and are now living in abject poverty. Some are already experiencing hunger.
The government is bankrupt. The treasury is empty. The country is sinking deeper in debt.
In the face of all these critical and crucial circumstances and situations, the shift to federalism had become the most viable means to lift the country from the quagmire and regain the respect of other nations of the world.
The federal system is also the most suitable social arrangement for the Filipinos as it challenges them to put to good use their strong ethnic loyalties and affiliations.
The Ilocanos, Ibanags, Pangalatoks, Capampangans, Tagalogs, Bicolanos, Warays, Cebuanos, Negrenses, the Muslims, the Christian dominated regions of Mindanao and the various ethic minorities will endeavor to prove their capacities for running their affairs and to manifest their pride by competing meaningfully with their fellow Filipinos from all over the nation.
The regional states of the proposed federal government will most likely be based on the ethnicity of most of their respective constituents.
There is no sensible reason to retain the present fundamental charter. It has been the bane of our woes and predicaments.
President Duerte should now call on Congress to embrace the challenge of changing the constitution. The shift to federalism was his battlecry during the presidential campaign and at the start of his administration.
All he has to do is to call on Congress to constitute itself into a constituent assembly to draft the Federal Constitution.
The Constitutional Committee, headed by former Chief Justice Reynato Puno, has already submitted to the President and Congress a draft of the Federal Constitution. The Constituent Assembly can simply refine or make some changes and submit the final draft for the people’s ratification within a few months before the 2022 elections.
The Puno draft has a provision which will provide for a smooth transition from the present to the new government system. This will, in effect, enable the Filipino people to cut the umbilical cords which have stymied the growth of the Philippine republic. `
The Puno draft addresses the most serious defects of the presidential system and all the misplaced concerns of those opposed to charter change.
President Duterte can now use his immense popularity to realize his goal to install a federal form of government. If necessary, he can call Congress to hold special sessions to finish the draft of the new fundamental charter.
He should and can brush aside the sentiments of some members of Congress who are opposed to discarding the present Constitution. He can have his way and impose his will as he did so in previous occasions. The lives of millions of the people are in disarray. They are suffering from deepening anxieties and despondency.
To prevent the country from falling into chaos and anarchy and to preserve our cherished democratic traditions, the shift to a federal system of government is an immediate necessity.